Exploring the Northern Tradition - A Guide to the Gods, Lore, Rites and Celebrations from the Norse, German and Anglo-Saxon Traditions author: Galina Krasskova New Page Books/Career Press 2005 ISBN #1-56414-791-6 The word "Heathen" takes on a whole new meaning after reading this book. It refers to the ancient religion of the Germanic and Scandanavian peoples (Heathenry), a religion that is one of the fastest growing polytheistic religions in the United States today. This book acts as a guide for the uninitiated into this quite complex world, discussing the cosmology, values, ethics, and rituals as practiced by modern day Heathens. Krasskova comes from a very eclectic religious background - raised in the Catholic faith, she was ordained as a Priestess in the Fellowship of Isis (a sect dedicated to Goddess Spirituality), graduated from and was ordained by The New Seminary in New York as a minister, has served on the faculty of The New Seminary as a lecturer in Pagan religions, and through intense personal experiences working with the God Woden turned to the Heathen path. She is been a ritual priest, and has been active in the Heathen community since 1996. She is cofounder of the New York Metro Asatru society, which acts to better educate the Pagan community about Heathenry through holding public rites and seminars. In his foreword, Swain Wodening states that a revival of the ancient Germanic religions began over thirty years ago simultaneously in the Americas, Iceland, and Great Britain. The growth that has occured has been not only in the number of practitioners, but in the number of denominations that developed within this religion. He welcomes this book, as there is not a great deal of written material on Heathenry available to date. In her introduction, Krasskova introduces two terms that are integral to understanding Heathenry: lore and UPG. Lore refers to the texts that provide the foundation for Heathenry: the Icelandic Sagas, the Poetic and Prose Edas, the Anglo-Saxon historical, legal and medical texts, and modern archeological, linguistic and anthropological research. UPG stands for "Unverified Personal Gnosis", which refer to personal experiences and spiritual epiphanies that cannot be verified through surviving Heathen lore. Krasskova also makes an interesting statement about the process of moving from one religious practice to another. She feels that it is perfectly all right to take from one's own faith the beautiful devotional aspects that sustain us. In other words, to become a Heathen (or to convert to from one religion to any other religion, one need not leave behind the whole of one's beliefs. This is seen from the point of view of being a transitional time, and not a statement of dual allegiances. There is quite an interesting section on the early (pre-Chrisitan) history of Heathenry, and how it has evolved. Today, there are three main bodies of Heathen worship: Tribalist, Universalist, and Folkish. They represent not so much denominations as the socio-political religious spectrum in Heathenry. It is also interesting to note that the worship of Heathenry is not in churches, it is in individual homes, with the focus on community and right living. Modern Heathenry is a polytheistic religion, reflecting a belief in individual Gods and Goddesses, each with an independent nature and personality. These Gods set in order a series of nine worlds, connected by a gleaming rainbow bridge called Bifrost. Two main symbols evolved- Yggdrasil (the World-Tree), and Urdabrunnr (the Well of Wyrd). Included in this section are meditations to Odin (the Allfather) and Frigga (the Allmother). (The latter is a very special mirror meditation. ) The middle third of this book is dedicated to introducing the Gods and Goddesses, explaining how they work in our lives, and presenting a meditation for each one. To understand Heathenry, one needs to understand the concept of wyrd. It is the sum total of one's choices and actions, while also carrying the energy of whatever destiny has been predetermined for any given lifetime. Krasskova states "We create and must abide by our own fate." An important note here is that the Well of Wyrd and the World-Tree represent the intersecting point between the physical world and the world beyond. Here we see reflected the choices we have made and the actions we have taken. In Heathenry, the Soul consists of a matrix made up of many interrelated parts. The exact number of parts varies from denomination to denomination, but include: the Physical Body; the Divine Breath; Luck; Vital Force; the Will; the Intellect; Memory; Passion, Ecstasy, and Inspiration; Guardian Spirit; Personal Wyrd; Etheric Soul Skin; and Self-Consciousness. Much of Heathenry has to do with honoring ancestors and walking the right path (the middle road). The Nine Noble Virtues are: Courage, Discipline, Fidelity, Honor, Hospitality, Industriousness, Perseverance, Self-Reliance and Truth. There are also the "Twelve Ćtheling Thews" that act to compliment and expand the Nine Noble Virtues. All Heathen denominations share a common generic ritual called a Blót. Basically, this is a ritual of sacrifice and kinship with the Gods. Krasskova describes the various parts of this ritual, and then discusses personal faining (ritual). The ritual is presented in a very general format so that the reader may adapt it to their own preferences. The major Heathen holidays (holy days) are presented, with special attention given to the Heathen rite termed Symbel. This is a very sacred rite, focused on offering and libation. The four parts of the rite are listed, in a manner which explains the intent while leaving itself open to individual adaptation. One last word, for those interested in Heathenry: Krasskova does indicate that some Heathen denominations require Germanic, Scandinavian or Anglo-Saxon ancestry before they will accept a newcomer into their community. For those interested in religion in general, Heathenism in particular, or Germanic/Scandanavian/Anglo-Saxon religion, Experiencing the Northern Tradition is not only a well researched, well written book, but it includes an excellent section for further reference. © May 2005 Bonnie Cehovet Personal Lifestyle Reading - I offer a Personal Lifestyle Reading using Tarot that looks at past, present and future influences in your life, at the energies that are currently available to help you along your path, and at those energies that are appearing as challanges. My goal is to offer you insight into your decision making process, as well as tools that you can use to both better understand your path and make conscious, choice centered decisions. Home Personal Empowerment links Personal Empowerment articles View My Guestbook Sign My Guestbook Graphics by Art for the web